Saudi Arabia ready to offer Messi $230 million a year - report
According to Spanish media, 'Messi will play in Saudi Arabia if he earns more than Cristiano Ronaldo'
Saudi Arabia is considering changing the salary limit rules in the local soccer league to be able to attract Lionel Messi, according to media reports.
Spanish newspaper Marca claims that the kingdom dreams of bringing together Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same championship and would even be ready to pay the current Argentinian striker of PSG a higher salary than the Portuguese star.
The presence in Riyadh on Tuesday of Lionel Messi's father and adviser, Jorge, has revived rumors of the player's possible move to Saudi Arabia. The Spanish program El Chiringuito even claimed that Jorge Messi went to the kingdom to discuss the future transfer of his son, for a salary at least as high as that the Al-Nassr club pays Ronaldo.
Rumor has it that Messi could join the club of Al-Hilal, the main rival of Al-Nassr. The Argentine footballer could receive over $230 million per season, the same as Ronaldo. However, the Portuguese star's salary includes a role as a tourism ambassador, a position that Messi already occupies. His salary would then be higher than that of Ronaldo, which is one of the conditions for Messi's transer, reported El Chiringuito.
According to Marca, the Saudis are not ruling out any options to fulfill their dream of signing Messi. However, other destinations are mentioned for the Argentinian, such as a return to FC Barcelona or a departure for Major League Soccer in the United States. For the moment, Messi is set to continue playing in Europe for another year.